Waiting
by Isildwen
Summary: The battle of Helm's Deep is over. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Merry have returned to Edoras with King Theoden, and are waiting for news from Gondor. Mainly friendship, also very fluffy m/m - don't read if you don't like.
1. Chapter 1

**Waiting**

**Authors note: **Can be read by itself or as part of my story arc between _Inauspicious Beginnings_ and _Choices Made_. Based more on the movie than book canon.

-o-o-o-

King Théoden of Rohan stood in the entrance of the Golden Hall. The battle of Helm's deep was over. Most of the refugees had returned to Edoras, and so had King Théoden and his family. And now, they had to wait. Wait for news of the war, wait for news from Gondor.

Currently the King was watching Aragorn, son of Arathorn, ranger of the North and future King of Gondor and his friend Legolas Thranduilion from the Woodland Realm sitting on the steps leading up to the hall's entrance. They had their backs turned to the King, and Théoden could not make out if they were talking. The two friend were fletching arrows. Earlier, Legolas had asked Éomer where he could get wood, fletching and metal for arrowheads. Éomer had directed him to the weaponry, where he had found a plentiful supply of all that he needed. Long had Théoden defended his land against the dark forces of Mordor, and his weaponry was always well stocked.

Théoden had spent much time thinking about Aragorn. This was the heir to Elendil, the rightful King of Gondor. The Steward of Gondor would not be happy with his appearance. Théoden struggled to reconcile the rather shabby appearance of the ranger with Aragorn's rightful position. Although, during the fighting King Théoden had seen, and experienced, just how good a leader Aragorn was, able to unite an army of villagers and elven warriors under one banner. Théoden had also seen something else. Éowyn, his nice, seemed to like Aragorn and sought him out. She told him that Aragorn was of the Dúnedain, blessed with long life and already 87 years old. He did not look older than mid-30s, a man in his prime, and not unattractive with his lean muscular body, dark, curly hair and grey eyes.

And then there was Legolas, his friend. He was the first elf Théoden had closer contact with. He had met elves before, but only in passing and had never had any interactions with them. The first time Théoden had seen Legolas, he had been surprised by Legolas' colouring, dark eyes and blond hair were not uncommon amongst the Rohirrim but Théoden had not often seen this colouring elsewhere and certainly not amongst the few elves he had met. Théoden had been pleasantly surprised how good an archer and fighter Legolas was, he had heard of the battle prowess of elves but had never experienced it before. Legolas intrigued him, in many ways the elf was so similar to humans and in other ways so different. But the differences were fewer than Théoden had thought, in the brief time that he had known the elf, he had seen him fighting expertly, dropping with exhaustion, stricken by grief, eating, drinking and enjoying the company of his friends. Somehow he had always thought elves were more different.

It was obvious to Théoden that Aragorn and Legolas were close friends and had known each other for a long time. They read each other without needing words, something that was rare amongst males and that Théoden found even more unlikely between a man and an elf. The King had noticed that between themselves, Legolas and Aragorn always spoke Elvish, he wondered if Aragorn had learned it as a child. The Dúnedain were said to have close connections to the elves.

Currently Legolas finished the arrow he was working on, put down his knife and began to gather together all the arrows that had been made. He carefully placed them in two bundles and tied them together with small leather bands. Then he said something to Aragorn. The ranger nodded, got up and for a moment, stood behind the elf and absent-mindedly gathered his friend's long hair and pushed it over the elf's shoulder. Legolas half turned and smiled at Aragorn. Théoden was surprised by the familiarity of this action, Legolas kept so much to himself that the intimacy of the moment was surprising, but neither elf nor ranger seemed to be really aware of it. After a brief moment, Aragorn turned and walked up the stairs.

"Hail, Théoden King", Aragorn said with a smile. "Do you have a healer here?"

"Hail, Aragorn" the king sighed. "Our healer died at Helm's Deep, but our midwife has survived, and she knows almost as much, or perhaps even more, than he did, about healing. Is your shoulder wound bothering you?"

"It is not that. I have some skill as a healer, and I would like to see if I can find some healing herbs, we have used up my provisions on our long journey."

"You are full of surprises, Aragorn. I will ask Éowyn to take you to the midwife."

"Eowyn…" Aragorn looked at the King.

"She likes you."

"I know." Aragorn looked down for a moment, and then met the King's eyes. "I would never mislead her. She deserves happiness, she has seen too much death for someone so young. But I cannot give her what she needs."

"Is she unpleasant to you?" Théoden sounded surprised.

"No. She is as fair as a beautiful spring morning. But…" Aragorn stopped. "What she sees in me is a dream – she sees valour and renown, and great deeds. But … I trained as a healer before I learned to be a warrior."

Théoden looked at Aragorn. He dimly remembered a prophecy, something about a healer-king. Wasn't there an old prophecy that went something like "_The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known_"? Whilst these thoughts went through Théoden's mind, Aragorn had paused, and now the ranger returned the gaze of the king.

"I could not give her what she wants", Aragorn looked down again, "my heart is given." For a brief moment, Aragorn's eyes turned towards Legolas, who was still sitting with his back turned toward them, looking into the distance.

Théoden stood quietly for a moment. "You have not misled her. I will not hide that I hoped for her that there might be happiness for her. You are an honourable man, Aragorn, it was not I who lead our men to victory at Helm's Deep."

"Without you, your men would not have followed me so readily. Théoden, before this is over, we will raise swords together."

At this moment, Legolas came up the stairs and joined the two men. "Hail, King Théoden", the elf said with a small formal bow. The King nodded his acknowledgment in return.

"Aragorn, I will go and look for Gimli and Merry."

"You may well find them in the smithy. Éomer took Gimli there earlier, and Merry came along." Théoden pointed down the hill. "Just follow the road down. You will find the smithy right at the foot of the hill."

"Thank you." Legolas turned and walked down the hill.

-o-o-o-

In the smithy, Gimli was working on a new blade for his axe. Or rather not so much a new one as a spare one, the dwarf did not like to just have one – even a dwarven blade could break or chip in battle and it was better to have a second blade. Éomer had led him to the smithy – it was empty and the forge was cold. The smith and his apprentice were amongst the many who had not returned from Helm's Deep. Éomer had commented that Gimli's skills were very welcome, as weapons needed to be restocked. But he had left the dwarf and Merry to their own devices, as he had more pressing duties to see to. Gimli had quickly lit the fire and found metals and tools. He was now working on shaping the axe head from the initial rough shape to a more refined form. Merry had seated himself near the window, away from the heat of the forge. He had been much quieter than usual since Gandalf had left with Pippin.

Now he looked at the dwarf with a deep sigh. "Gimli, do you think we will ever see them again?"

Gimli looked up, but did not stop his work. The fire played on his bearded features and Merry was struck by how at home Gimli looked at the forge.

"Gandalf and Pippin? I don't know." Gimli also sighed. "We can only wait for news and keep up our courage, Gandalf would not want us to despair."

The dwarf focused again on the design he was trying to chisel into the hot metal.

"Why does Pippin always have to get into trouble? He can never just leave something alone… and now I cannot even help him."

Without losing the rhythm of his hammering, Gimli looked up. "Merry, there was a reason why you and Pippin were allowed to join the fellowship. I cannot read Lord Elrond's mind, but I am sure he had a reason. He would not have permitted Pippin to come if he did not have a role to play."

The dwarf had almost finished his work. "We are small pieces in big events. We can but try our best, and be true to our friends. Which is the reason why I will now try and make some arrowheads for Legolas, I know he is running short."

Pippin looked up in surprise. "I thought you don't like Legolas."

"That young elfling has grown on me. And I must admit, he has his uses in battle". The dwarf was embarrassed, too often had he taunted the elf in the early days of the journey. But so many things had happened, Legolas was strong and true, the fact that he was an elf was no longer as important.

The axe blade was now finished. Gimli was pleased with his work, even though he had to use the tools and materials of an unknown human, the blade was strong and the design unblemished. The clan markings and fortune runes stood out clearly. Now to the arrow heads.

Gimli looked at the young hobbit. "I need to make a mould to make the arrow heads. Could you run down to the river and get some sand or clay? I do not need both."

Pippin nodded. "Of course, it is better than doing nothing. I hate this waiting, just waiting for things to happen." The hobbit slid of his seat and set off in the direction of the river.

For a moment, Gimli stepped away from the forge. And out of the door. He looked up and down the street, only to see the familiar figure of Legolas approaching.

"I was wondering what you and Merry are up to. Where is Merry?" The elf quickly glanced into the smithy and saw that Merry was not there.

"He is running an errand for me."

At that moment, Legolas saw the axe blade that Gimli had crafted. As all elves, Legolas had a keen sense of aesthetics, and recognised beauty when he saw it, even if it was expressed in the alien form of dwarvish design.

"Gimli, this is a beautiful piece of work." The elf stretched out his hand to pick up the axe blade.

"Be careful, this is still hot", Gimli said with a gruff smile. He was more pleased by Legolas' compliment than he wanted to admit.

"Gimli, one of my daggers got badly chipped at Helm's Deep. Do you think you could repair it?"

Gimli was surprised by the request. Legolas must trust him to ask for this – perhaps he was not the only one who felt that something had changed between them.

"I can try. I have not yet worked on a weapon of Elvish make. Have you got it with you?"

"No, I am unarmed." It was only at that moment that Gimli realised that Legolas, very uncharacteristically, was indeed entirely without weapons.

"We can do this after the noon meal. Come, let's get back to the Hall and get some food. Aragorn will be looking for you. He always is." Gimli's voice was gruff, but there was also understanding and acceptance in the dwarf's voice. Legolas smiled, a shy smile that disappeared almost as quickly as it came, and Gimli was surprised how much this small grin mattered to him. Yes, Legolas was becoming a friend, and in these times of war, it was not a bad thing to have an elf on your side.

-o-o-o-

**TBC. Please review if you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The noon meal at Edoras was a simple affair. Bread, cheese and cold meats on large wooden platters were placed in the middle of the long tables in the King's Hall, together with mead and ale. The King, Éomer and Éowyn shared a table with their guests. Éowyn sat opposite from Legolas.

The elf had only taken a small amount of cheese and bread. He did not feel the need for food, elves often only ate two meals a day and breakfast did not seem so long ago. Éowyn looked up from her own food.

"I have seen you shoot – I have never seen anyone shoot with such a skill. I can shoot an arrow well enough, but I have wondered if you could teach me some of your skill"

Éomer who was sitting next to Éowyn, frowned at his sister. "You do not need to improve your skills with weapons. Our uncle indulged you by allowing a women to train with the sword and bow, you do not need to ask our guests for their time."

Legolas looked at Éomer. "Do your people forbid women the use of weapons?" Éomer looked surprised at the question. "Our women do not go to war. Some can defend themselves with a sword but it is not encouraged. Do the elves let their women fight?

"For my people, gender is less important than skill when it comes to be trained. Some females will train for archery, and rarely, a female will be chosen for sword training. But males and females are selected for their skills, not their gender. Some of our people who died defending your people were females, did you not know that?"

"Some of the elven warriors were female?" Éomer was so surprised that he almost dropped his fork.

"Yes, of course, did you not see that?"

"Legolas, Éomer has not seen many elves before," Aragorn said. "In full battle gear, male and female elves do not look very different for those who have not seen many elves before."

Éomer shook his head in disbelief. "I cannot believe we were defended by females…" After a pause, he looked at Aragorn. "I have heard that elves choose lovers of both genders, is that true?"

"It is true. For elves, the qualities of a person are more important that their gender. It is not difficult to give pleasure to someone you care for, regardless of their gender."

At this point, Éowyn looked at Legolas. "Master Elf, what is your preference – males or females?" but there was a smile in her voice as she asked.

"Éowyn!" Éomer looked in shock at his sister.

"This, my Lady Éowyn, is for me to share when I wish, which is not today," Legolas responded with a smile of his own.

Aragorn came to his rescue. "How about some archery practice?"

Éowyn's face lit up but her brother sighed. Why did his sister always need to be different from other women?

Gimli interrupted. "Before you all go off and waste arrows, Legolas, you wanted me to see to that dagger of yours. I will return to the smithy as I have not finished. I expect Merry will come with me."

Legolas nodded. "I'll get my dagger." He got up to leave but Aragorn caught his wrist. "Get my bow, it will be easier for Éowyn to use than yours and you have used it a hundred times." The elf simply nodded, and for a brief moment, his and the man's eyes locked. "I will be back in a moment."

Éowyn looked at Aragorn. "You know him well, don't you?" There was an unasked question in her eyes.

Aragorn sighed. This moment had been inevitable, but he had no intention to reveal more about his relationship with Legolas than he had to.

"I have mentioned this before, I grew up in Rivendell and I met Legolas when we were both very young. We have spent a lot of time together over the years."

"He trusts you." Éowyn's blue eyes sought those of the ranger. "As do I," she added very quietly.

"Éowyn…" Aragorn was prevented from saying anything further because at this moment King Théoden officially finished the meal and send everyone off to their afternoon errands.

The hall emptied. Gimli, Merry and Aragorn followed Legolas to their shared room, but not before having promised Éowyn to meet her shortly at the archery range.

-o-o-o-

Legolas was glad to escape the meal. He felt uncomfortable around Éowyn, he was well aware of her attraction to Aragorn – it could hardly be missed. Although he scolded himself for the irrationality of it, he felt threatened by Éowyn's attraction to Aragorn. The girl was beautiful and of royal decent, for many a potential match between her and the future King of Gondor would appear like a match made by the Valar.

For a moment he sat down on his bed, breathing in deeply and closing his eyes. At that moment, the door opened and Aragorn, Gimli and Merry entered the room. Aragorn immediately knew that something was not right, and came up to Legolas and sat beside him on the bed.

"Legolas, show me your dagger and Merry and I will leave you to in peace. " Gimli, too, had sensed quickly that something bothered the elf. Legolas nodded, grateful for the perceptiveness of the dwarf. He got up and retrieved the damaged dagger from its sheath.

"Here you can see how it is chipped. But that is not the worst of it. This dagger has lost its song."

Gimli looked at the elf in surprise. Every piece of metal, and that included all weapons, have a song of their own. He had not known that elves could hear this song. He took the damaged weapon.

"I can repair the chip. But the metal has been strained. It needs reforging and this is not an easy job for a weapon of this quality."

"Can you try?" Legolas looked at the dwarf.

"If you trust me with your weapon, I would be honoured to reforge this and to give it a new song."

Even though his eyes remained troubled, Legolas smiled at the dwarf's response. "Thank you, Gimli". The dwarf and Merry left for the smithy.

-o-o-o-

Aragorn sat next to Legolas on the bed. "What is it, Legolas?"

"It is nothing, I am just a bit weary."

"Legolas, don't lie to me. I know very well that something is not right." Aragorn gently took the elf's hands.

Legolas sighed." I have no right to feel this way, but Éowyn … she likes you. She is not unattractive and of a royal line…."

"And you fear I would choose her over you?" There was hurt in Aragorn's voice. "Do you know me so little?"

Legolas looked at his knees and their interlocked hands. He shook his head. "No, I do not fear that you would choose her over me, but I fear that you may be put into a position where you have no choice."

Aragorn moved closer to the elf and gently pulled him against his shoulder. "Legolas, I do not know what the future will bring but I do know Éowyn's and my fate are not linked. Also, should I one day become king, you know what the arrangements will be. We have talked about this many times."

"Come, it is time to go to the archery range." Aragorn stood up and pulled Legolas up with him. The elf sighed, but took Aragorn's bow. His own bow, given to him by Lady Galadriel, would be too large to be used by Éowyn.

-o-o-o-

Sometime later King Théoden had finished his most pressing duties and went to see how Éowyn's archery practice went. He did not truly like the idea of Éowyn becoming even more skilled as a warrior, it was time for her to remember that she was a women, with a role as a future wife and mother. Éowyn was already 23 years old, it was high time for her to find a fitting mate and have children. The King stopped at the edge of the archery range and took in the picture.

Aragorn was sitting at the side of the range, idly whittling away on a small piece of wood whilst he watched the archery lesson in front of him.

Éowyn was standing at the end of the range with her back to the sun. Legolas was standing close behind her, overlaying her arms with his and thus guiding her to stretch the bow and pull back the arrow at the right angle.

The girl had changed out of her dress into leather breeches and a tunic, similar to the clothes of the men, and had tied her long her together in a plait. Théoden shook his head. Éowyn had lost her mother too early, there had not been a close female to look up to for her, so she had looked up to her older brother. When she found she was strong enough to yield a sword, she learned how to use it, to impress her brother – but Éomer wanted a girl, not a shield maiden, as a sister.

Théoden focused again on Éowyn. She had fired her shot, and the arrow had found the target, but not in the middle. Legolas spoke to her, she nodded, and repeated the shot, this time without guidance. The result was similar to the first shot. She tried again.

After he had watched several more shots, Théoden approached Aragorn. The ranger stood up as the Kind approached.

"Your niece is skilled with the bow. It is not easy to shoot at this distance with another's bow."

Théoden sighed. "She has skill, yes, but her skill with weapon still needs to be tempered with more womanly skills." Then he smiled. "They make a nice couple, don't they?" Aragorn looked at the King, and for a fleeting moment, there was an odd expression that Théoden could not quite read.

"I can promise you that Legolas has no intentions towards Éowyn," Aragorn smiled as well as he spoke.

"How can you be sure? Just look at them, it would not be a bad match. I heard that Legolas is a King's son, it would be fitting. There have been unions of elves and men before."

"There have been. And they do make a beautiful couple." Aragorn looked across the field. "But Legolas … is committed," the ranger said, suddenly more serious.

"Have you known Legolas for long?"

"I met him when I was fifteen years old and I visited Lasgalen with my foster father and brothers. I still remember that first visit very clearly." Aragorn smiled at the memory. He did not mention that it was during that first visit that Legolas and he had fallen head over heels in love with each other, a love that had never waned in over sixty years.

"We have seen each other regularly since them, sometimes for long periods or short. We have saved each other's' lives more times than I care to remember."

Théoden looked at Aragorn. A thought had begun to form in his mind, he remembered the casual way Aragorn had pushed Legolas hair away earlier and the way he had held Legolas' wrist, although the elf clearly avoided close contact with others if possible. "You are very close to him, aren't you?"

Relationships between males were not unknown amongst the Rohirrim, in fact, they were often regarded as a part of growing up, but there was an expectation that such relationships did not survive into adulthood, and made way to marriage and fatherhood.

Aragorn sighed and glanced down for a moment, but then looked up and met the King's eyes. "Yes, we are very close, and have been for a long time. As you said, unions between elves and men are not unheard of, but ours can never be formal." Théoden was struck both by the frank admission and the note of despair behind it.

"You love him?"

"Yes, with all my heart. But first and foremost he is my best friend, the one person I can always rely on, in any situation."

Théoden stood silent for a while, surprised at not feeling more shocked. Part of him had known this, even if this knowledge had not yet reached conscious thoughts. There was an unspoken emotional bond between the ranger and the elf that was hard to miss.

"He cares for you also, I have seen that," Théoden said evenly. "How many people know this?"

"Our families and friends, and the Fellowship. I know that many would scorn me for loving a male but," the rangers' eyes never leaving the King, "this love is part of me."

Théoden was quiet for a moment and looked pensively at Aragorn. The ranger bore the scrutiny without flinching.

"It changes nothing. You are still someone I want to draw swords together, and I very much would like to see Legolas at my side in any fight."

-o-o-o-

At this moment, Éowyn and Legolas decided to finish their practice and join the other two.

"Éowyn, you have done well." Legolas smiled at the girl. He had feared that this afternoon would be arduous, but it had turned out to be much better than he had hoped. Éowyn was an easy pupil to teach, quick of mind and hand, and strong and supple as a young willow. He had feared a barrage of questions about Aragorn throughout the afternoon, but there had been none. Éowyn had been totally focused on improving her archery skills.

"I enjoyed this. It is better than waiting, waiting all the time…"Éowyn impatiently pushed aside a few strands of blonde hair that had escaped the braid in the nape of her neck.

The sun was beginning to set in the West. "It is time to go back."

As they neared the Hall, they met Gimli and Merry coming up from the smithy. The both looked hot and sweaty, but satisfied.

"It looks as if you had a successful afternoon, Master Dwarf" Éowyn said, a smile lighting up her blue eyes.

"We have, my lady. I have now a second blade, and Legolas' dagger sings its song again. The dwarf unwrapped a bundle that he had carried.

Legolas dark eyes lit up to a surprising blue. His dagger was as good as new, there was no sign of the damage left. He tentatively took the weapon out of the cloths it had been wrapped in and ran his hands over the blade. With a lightning-quick movement, the elf tested the dagger. The metal sung again, Gimli had indeed restored the weapon.

"How can I thank you for this, Gimli?" Legolas was truly grateful. Gimli had shown remarkable skill with metalwork.

Gimli looked up at the elf. "By accepting these." He pulled a small bag out of the bundle of cloth. "Hold out your hands."

Slightly bemused, Legolas held out his hands, forming them into a cup. The dwarf tipped the bag, and Legolas' hands filled with black, shiny, sharp objects. "Arrowheads?!"

Everyone gasped with surprise. Arrowheads were laborious to make, usually shaped from stone. But these were metal, each one almost identical to the others.

"Gimli, this must have taken many hours." Legolas was almost speechless. The dwarf had taunted him so often, and now this. Something had indeed changed.

"It was not so bad. I have nothing else to do at the moment."

"Gimli…"

The dwarf shook his head. "Don't. One day you will pay me back in kind. Come now, it is time for some food."

-o-o-o-

The evening meal had come and gone, now there was still some drinking and merry making going on in the hall. Gimli and Merry happily joined in, but after a while Aragorn and Legolas quietly slipped away to their room.

"I am quite tired, Legolas." The ranger sat on his bed, resting his head on his elbows.

"That is not a surprise. You are still recovering. Come, let me rebandage that wound on your shoulder and see to your bruises, then you can sleep."

Reluctantly Aragorn got up and took off his tunic. Almost the entire left side of his body was purple, but the bruises were beginning to fade to yellow at the edges.

"Is the pain getting less. Estel? This time Legolas used Aragorn's childhood name, the name they saved for intimate times.

"Not really … but it will."

"I am still amazed you made it through the battle. No one would have known you were injured." Whilst he was talking, the elf had found a small pot with ointment from Aragorn's pack.

"I'll do your shoulder. Sit down." Legolas gently pressed Aragorn down on the bed and began to remove the bandages around Aragorn's shoulder. Aragorn gave an involuntary hiss.

"I am sorry, Estel. But I need to get these off." Legolas tried to be as careful as he could. After a few moments, the bandages were off, and the elf began gently to apply an herbal paste to the wound. He then carefully rebandaged the shoulder.

"This is better. How do you feel?"

"Sore and tired." It was rare that Aragorn was honest to this extent.

"I am really tired of always having to hide or explain or to justify that I love you. Why can't other people simply see and accept how much you mean to me?" Resentment clouded the usual clear grey eyes of the ranger.

Legolas tied off the last of the bandages. "Does Théoden know?"

Aragorn nodded. "He guessed, and asked. I will not lie about us."

"I would not expect you to." Legolas leaned forward and softly kissed Aragorn. The ranger sighed. "I wish we were not in a shared room."

"So do I, but Merry and Gimli can come back any moment, so this is not the time or the place…" Legolas got up. "Do you want the pain numbing ointment for the bruises?

"Yes, I would like to get some rest tonight."

Legolas got up and found another pot with ointment. He disliked this particular ointment, it had a strong, medicinal smell that he found unpleasant and that did not wash off his hands easily. But Aragorn's comfort was more important, so the elf very carefully spread the strong smelling lotion across Aragorn's body. When he was finished, he helped Aragorn to carefully slip into his sleep tunic.

"It is time for you to sleep. I will go and find the others, and spend a bit of time with them. Sleep well, Estel." Legolas gently pushed Aragorn back onto the bed.

"I hope I will. Thank you, Legolas. For everything." Man and elf smiled at each other. There was no need to say more.

-o-o-o-

The following morning, the beacons of Gondor were lit, and the ride to war began.

**The End**

**Please review – it would be nice to know what people think of my stories.**


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